A homeless person is one who does not have a permanent residence. Someone who does not have a home of their own. Many Southern Illinois residents live temporarily with friends or relatives, which is commonly refered to as being "doubled up". They also are living in their cars, in parks, public spaces, abondoned buildings or are otherwise not residing in a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence.

The Lighthouse opened Jan 2007 and has been the home to over 1300 individuals in those 3 yrs of operation. 400 children and 200 veterans are respresented in that total.